The Roar
The Roar

The Roar

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The night old soccer came home

Last Saturday night in Sydney, Heartbeat of Football – a fundraising organisation founded and driven by well-known football identity Andy Paschalidis – hosted the first ever reunion of players, coaches and identities from the National Soccer League.

Football
19
Jul
The night old soccer came home
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To the spoilers goes the Victory

Melbourne Victory’s fourth A-League title in Saturday’s grand final was achieved by a side that has done it the hard way, coming from fourth place to claim the championship, the first time a team from outside the top two has lifted the A-League trophy.

Football
17
2018
To the spoilers goes the Victory
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The goal that kicked off a mad finals week

As often as Riley McGree’s incredible scorpion goal last Friday night has been viewed (well over a million times just on the Newcastle Jets website alone), Fox Sports commentator Brenton Speed’s call of the Jets player’s goal against Melbourne City in that semi final will surely go down in folklore too.

Football
10
2018
The goal that kicked off a mad finals week
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American college football gets bigger crowds than the AFL and most of the football leagues in Europe so your comparison is a little meaningless.

The A-League has six months to save itself from oblivion

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Football
 
Jan

I was quoting an article from the Herald. I have no recollection nor can find evidence of of AFL drawing those crowds. If so, happily stand corrected.

The A-League has six months to save itself from oblivion

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Football
 
Jan

OK, Robbie Slater I get. But Fox didn’t tell FFA not to have the South-West Sydney team start next season.

The A-League has six months to save itself from oblivion

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Football
 
Jan

Not true, Harold. Had the Wanderers not existed, the government would not have invested in a rebuild of Parramatta Satdium because the Eels on their own were not worth the money. It was only when the Wanderers packed out the place every second week that the decision was taken to upgrade, and then rebuild.

The A-League has six months to save itself from oblivion

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Football
 
Jan

It’s a fair question, Christo. When the A-League began, Frank Lowy “wished” for a crowd average of 10,000 by Season Three. He got it much earlier than that. It’s worth noting that in the last 2 years, the A League have attracted a crowd of 62,000 for a regular season club game in Sydney, which is the biggest crowd for a regular season game for any sport in NSW history. Melbourne Victory average crowds that are bigger than the biggest NSL regular season crowd in history.
A crowd of 8,500 for a Western Sydney Wanderers game would have been unheard of when they had a home ground. But they have been crucified by the rebuild of Parramatta Stadium, which cannot come quickly enough for a club whose supporters redefined active support through the league. Their “homelessness” has also coincided with an alarming slump in form. Even though playing out of the Olympic Stadium amplifies the emptiness, it’s still better than the farce that was Spotless Stadium next door.

The A-League has six months to save itself from oblivion

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Football
 
Jan

What exactly have Fox Sports done wrong?

The A-League has six months to save itself from oblivion

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Football
 
Jan

Mike
What exactly are the mistakes? I don’t disagree – the A League has struggled this season but what do we compare it to? If it’s the NSL, let’s not, because as much as I and a lot of others fondly remember those times, the A-League is light years ahead in terms of organisation, promotion and crowds. If it’s other football codes, well, the NRL and the AFL have both experienced crowd and ratings drop-offs in recent seasons but because they are operating from a larger base with a whole lot more TV money to play with, it’s not a crisis. The NSW State Government’s obsession with infrastructure has killed the biggest marquee match the league has, because there’s not a decent stadium to play it in, and no reliable public transport to get to it.

So what’s the answer? Promotion/relegation? Not for years. A National Second Division? OK, but which of the current NPL clubs around the country could afford to play in it? An independently-run A-League? Possibly, but run by whom? Expansion? Definitely, and it’s coming, though too late for many, and the league needs to do it a whole lot better. In fact, study how the AFL does expansion and go from there, go and say to Canberra, Hobart, Wollongong and Brisbane City, “Right, you’re coming into the league in 2 seasons. This is what you have to have in place by then.”

The A-League has six months to save itself from oblivion

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Football
 
Jan

Wanderers fans didn’t trash the old stadium, it was their existence in such numbers that led to a new one getting built.

Sydney is the most embarrassing city in Australia

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Football
 
2018

Except for people who live on the northern beaches, where there is no rail line at all.

Sydney is the most embarrassing city in Australia

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Football
 
2018

Waz

Latest reports indicate FFA want expansion to happen next season. In this case, Southern Expansion won’t have a stadium built in time. I’m honestly having a hard time visualising SE being able to do what they claim at Lucas Heights.

Sydney is the most embarrassing city in Australia

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Football
 
2018

Why would Southern Expansion build their own stadium and then only play one-third of their games there? Frankly, I don’t believe a word of it.

Sydney is the most embarrassing city in Australia

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Football
 
2018

Well, apart from the Wanderers…

Dharawal FC? Tell 'em they're dreaming

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Football
 
2018

Mike, I’d say this is a call to arms. I’d also respectfully say that it was a tad harsh, as there ended up being a good-sized contingent of Wanderers fans at the derby. It will be interesting to see how FC fans cope with being – ironically enough – “wanderers” for the next 3 seasons. The finish of the new Parramatta stadium can’t come quickly enough for the Wanderers and for the league in general.

The Wanderers' dwindling fan base proves why they're Sydney's second team

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Football
 
2018

Where does it state that synthetic pitches are not “FFA-approved?” Sydney FC played Rockdale on a synthetic pitch in this season’s cup. They also played Sydney United on a synthetic pitch in last year’s cup. I’m sure there are other examples.

What is the point of the National Premier Leagues?

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Football
 
2018

My understanding was the Apia-Victory game was moved to Leichhardt Oval because the expected crowd size was too big for Lambert Park. After all, Sydney FC played Rockdale on a synthetic pitch in the previous round.

What is the point of the National Premier Leagues?

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Football
 
2018

Craig Midgley
Robbie Hooker
Brad Maloney
Lee Sterrey
Alex Tobin
Ian Ferguson
Harry Kewell
John Anastasiadis
Jean-Paul De Marigny
Phil Moss

The A-League managerial pressure cooker

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Football
 
2018

Is there any truth to the rumour that the A league is expanding to 12 teams to give Liam Reddy two new clubs to play for?

A few things you will not see in the A-League this season

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Football
 
2018

That is the “official line.” The reality is that FIFA were concerned about Colombia’s preparation for at least 18 months before the decision to relinquish the tournament. They jumped before they could be pushed.

The smear campaign allegations could end up being the smoking gun needed to strip Qatar of the World Cup

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Football
 
2018

Not if they were found to have contravened rules regarding their bid. (I know, I know, rules and FIFA and all that)

The smear campaign allegations could end up being the smoking gun needed to strip Qatar of the World Cup

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Football
 
2018

I was thinking of where the WC might end up if Qatar was stripped of it, and the most logical place is back in Europe. There is a precedent to this; Colombia were stripped of the 1986 hosting rights 3 years out from the tournament start and Mexico ended up as hosts.

The smear campaign allegations could end up being the smoking gun needed to strip Qatar of the World Cup

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Football
 
2018

As soon as I saw the footage of the AFL brawl I knew full well that it would be compared to “soccer” by the more sycophantic members of the AFL press. They are nothing if not predictable.

Even as an innocent bystander, football is implicated

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Football
 
2018

Manfred Moore! Josh, I love that you remember him!

Usain in the membrane: Why Bolt in the A-League makes no sense

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Football
 
2018

Why on earth would someone who can run 100 metres in under 10 seconds need to be offside?

Usain in the membrane: Why Bolt in the A-League makes no sense

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Football
 
2018

But they had a gifted 19 year old that they put trust in…oh, wait…

The Arnold era begins: A swipe at Bert and psychological mumbo jumbo

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Football
 
2018

We can deride Australia’s failed bid for the 2022 World Cup and the fact it received one vote. However, the FIFA Technical committee had assessed it as one of the best-prepared in the lead-up to the vote. Qatar’s was last among the bidding nations. Also, the major stumbling block with an Australia-hosted World Cup was the clash of grounds with other winter codes – which, had the bidding team known could have been played in November – would not have been an issue.

That is why the awarding of the tournament to Qatar will leave a sour taste. They bought the bid, lock, stock and barrel and FIFA fell over themselves to make sure they got it, even ignoring their own rules about distance between stadiums, time of year to stage the tournament and a host of others.

Now it's Qatar's time to shine – if they're given the chance

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Football
 
2018
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